Because
by BRMCluv
Summary: There are many, many reasons why Mai and Ty Lee are OTP. Love probably isn't even one of them. Reason #3: Because Azula is mean.
1. Because they were Bored

**Third-person omnicient. Dialogue-heavy. Femslash. No copyright infringement intended.**

Me: So is Tokka your OTP?  
Grass: You bet.  
Me: I need one of those.

**And this was born.**

* * *

"I am so freaking _bored_."

"No, you're not."

Ty Lee came down from her handstand and folded her arms. "What do you mean, I'm not?"

Mai slid her eyes toward Ty Lee's standing frame. "Well, just that you're never _really_ bored. You can amuse yourself with your circus-freak routine. _I_ just have to sit here."

Ty Lee softened her look. "Well, yeah. I'm pretty talented."

Mai didn't respond. Ty Lee did a mini-front-walkover to Mai's bed where she was seated. "Well, you _could_ find something to do."

Mai narrowed her eyes skeptically. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Mai, you could always find a hobby."

"A hobby." Mai looked mildly amused.

"Yeah. Like, I have my gymnastics and Azula has her...global conquest." Ty Lee stretched her legs out and reached for her toes.

"Wait. So you think I need a...hobby?" Mai said it slowly and like it disgusted her.

"Or anything to do." Ty Lee replied. "You sitting there starting at me is kinda creepy."

"How can I _not_, you're doing your freak-things right in front of me." Mai adopted her usual subtle expression of sardonic amusement, but it didn't really have the same effect because she was now nervously biting her bottom lip.

"I always do my exercises in here, Mai." Ty Lee sounded extremely calm besides the fact that she had resumed her tricks and was currently upside-down. She righted herself swiftly and stood in front of Mai. "Why did you pick this day to spend an hour watching me stretch and practice my exercises, hmm?"

"I was bored."  
"Was?"

"Am." Mai added quickly.

Ty Lee shrugged. "Go capture a city with Azula. You don't have to complain to me."

"You're being nasty today."

Ty Lee broke her scowl and giggled. "Yeah. It's kind of fun."

There was a brief moment of silence in which both girls simply sat and looked at eachother. Regardless of how simple this sounds, it wasn't easy for a shy girl like Mai. She had an especially hard time not blushing, but still she set aside all inhibitions aside and gazed the gymnast in front of her, all pink-skirt and rosy-cheeks and slightly-out-of-breath. She really did have a good reason for watching Ty Lee practice, except that she didn't want to think about it.

It was Ty Lee's unabashed knack for saying awkward things that saved the day.

"You like me, don't you?"

She didn't wait for Mai to respond. She simply grinned wickedly, got real close, and placed both of her hands on Mai's shoulders. And just like that, both of their boredom was cured.

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Thanks for making it this far. Next reason: Because they were drunk.

Reviews help _me_ stay off the sauce, my lovelies.


	2. Because they were Drunk

**Third-person omnicient. Little dialogue. No copyright infringement intended.**

Kid with Camera: Let's take a picture!  
Loveless cosplayer: Does someone want to hold my chains? _(hands them to me)  
_Me: Ooh, kinky.  
Grass: _(cracks up)_

**The perfect photograph. Chibiconn '08.**

* * *

All it took was a little bit of Azula's expensive stuff here, a lot of Zuko's cheap stuff there, and both girls were far gone.

"Gone" happened to be standing up in the cramped kitchen storage room at half-past midnight. It was quick, messy, giggly, and explicit. And "it" happened many times while Azula and her brother were away, night after night, until both the prince and princess's stashes were gone. This left Ty Lee unable to think of anything but that crazy, special hour she would spend with booze in her bloodstream and her dainty pink skirt around her ankles.

Soon the alchohol inevitably ran out, and Mai and Ty Lee were presented with a problem. The problem of awkwardness and sobriety. They could always just forget it ever happened, quit Azula's wine and each other, once and for all. The first break in their routine the girls said nothing to eachother, but found themselves unable to sleep, staring up at the ceiling, imagining exactly what they could be doing at that moment. Or _who_, if you prefer to think that way.

Ty Lee sure did. It surprised her how dirty she could be with Mai. Each morning after their little escapades she wondered through a hung-over haze if she would act the same way sober.

Luckily she didn't have to make the first move. About a week after sobering up, Mai and Ty Lee recieved word that Azula would be coming home in a day or two. Mai decided to make the most of her last day with Ty Lee.

The gymnast was fixing herself breakfast when she heard the door slam behind her. She whirled around quickly and started to blush at the sight of Mai in her long, low-cut dressing robe. She brought her finger to her lips and gave a slight smile. She grabbed Ty Lee by the wrist and practically dragged her up the stairs and into the tiny kitchen storage room.

Once there, Mai wasted no time. She drew the curtains shut on the one musty window and practically tore off her robe, flinging it onto the bed. She laughed lightly at Ty Lee's shocked expression. In one fluid movement she came forward and pulled out the band holding Ty Lee's hair braided. She then embraced the other girl and drew her close, grinning into her long, perfumed hair.

_I guess Mai doesn't need alchohol to loosen up..._Ty Lee thought through her shock. She felt inexplicable tingly feelings shooting down her spine and circulating in another conspicuos place. She had just worked up enough courage to pull back and kiss Mai when a shirll voice rang out from somewhere below.

"Where the _hell_ is all my _wine!?_"

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the show. **Next reason: **Because Azula is mean.

Please don't be mean to me, review!


	3. Because Azula is Mean

**Third-person omnicent. No copyright infringement intended.**

Grass: Suki, you're so ugly.  
Me: Please. I'm hot. I'm hotter than...Azula's butthole.

**What it sounds like when Avatards fight. Drama rehearsal, 9/25/08**

* * *

Girls develope habits early in life. Ty Lee cartwheeled and somersaulted at a very young age, and her favorite place to practice was the little pond in the courtyard where the turtle-ducks swam. Azula developed her habit of manipulation without remorse at a _very_ young age, and since Ty Lee was often preoccupied with developing her own talents, Mai was usually the brunt of Azula's tactics.

On one particularly sunny monring, young Ty Lee was lounging in the shade, watching the turtle-ducks' water ballet and mentally congratulating herself for finally mastering a back-handspring. She suddenly heard a footfall behind her.

"Um, hi." Ty Lee turned around to find Mai sillhouetted against the sun.

"What's up?" Ty Lee asked lazily.

"Nothing."

Mai took a seat on the grass at the water's edge. "Azula's doing it again." she admitted.

Ty Lee giggled. She moved down next to Mai and yawned. A few seconds of awkward silence passed, and Mai decided to speak up.

"So...what do you do here every day?"

"Practice gymnastics."

"Oh."

And the silence was back. Ty Lee leaned forward and plucked a cattail from the side of the pond, twirling it in her slender hands.

"What was Azula doing this time?" Ty Lee asked, glancing sideways at her friend.

"Umm, she was going on and on about me and Zuko again. I don't really want to talk about it."

But Ty Lee had already seized the opportunity. "Ooh, your built-in boyfriend. Mai, you're so lucky. I bet he's just in _love_ with you."

Mai stood up abruptly and stomped her foot petulantly.

"Ty, I came here to get _away_ from stupid Zuko talk."

Ty Lee held up her little hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Never mind."

Mai sat down slowly and resumed staring at the water.

For the next few minutes, the quacks of the turtle ducks were the only sound. Ty Lee abruptly laid back and stared up at the clouds.

"I wonder what it would be like to kiss a boy. Do you?"

"Sometimes..." Mai admitted slowly.

Ty Lee sat up so fast it caught Mai completely off-guard. Mai felt a nervous thrill run through her and froze, felt unable to move as she saw Ty Lee's face coming toward her. The kiss was light and fast, but Mai felt as if it went on forever. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears and her face felt like it was on fire.

"Well? What do you think?"

Ty Lee didn't wait for Mai to reply. Instead she stood up quickly and placed a hand on Mai's shoulder.

"I liked it." she said, and walked away.

Shocked as she was, Mai reached up and ran her fingers softly along her lips. Even then, even through her shock, she knew where she'd go next time Azula was being mean.

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Next reason: **Because daggers are very sharp.**

Mine are sharper than Mai's, I will come after you if you don't review.


End file.
